IGN - 9.5/10
GameSpot - 9/10
Game Informer - 9/10
Press-Start AU - 9/10
PlayStation Lifestyle - 9.5/10
Polygon - Extremely Positive
COGConnected - 88/100
Attack of the Fanboy - 4.5/5
VG247 - Extremely Positive
PowerUp! - 9.9/10
Gameblog.fr - 9/10
TheSixthAxis - 9/10
Kotaku - Positive
Atomix - 95/100
Telegraph - 5/5
IGN Spain - 9.3/10
PCMR: 93/100
Sekiro evolves From Software's formula into a stylish stealth-action adventure that, naturally, emphasizes precision and skill in its combat. It walks the line between deliberate and patient stealth and breakneck melee combat against threats both earthly and otherworldly. Its imaginative and flexible tools support a more focused experience that shaves down some of From Software's overly cryptic sensibilities without losing its air of mystery. Sekiro is an amazing new twist on a familiar set of ideas that can stand on its own alongside its predecessors.
Heart-stopping swordfights and deft, panoramic stealth waged across another vast, gorgeously rancid From Software landscape.
GameSpot - 9/10
Sekiro marries From Software's unique brand of gameplay with stealth action to deliver an experience that is as challenging as it is gratifying.
Game Informer - 9/10
Sekiro is one of the most difficult games I have ever played, but for those seeking adventure, exploration, and a truly realized ninja fantasy, the trek is worth the high demands.
Press-Start AU - 9/10
Sekiro is admittedly lacking the over-the-top spectacle of games like Devil May Cry and God of War but since it substitutes it with such a distinct charisma, it's hard to be upset about it.
PlayStation Lifestyle - 9.5/10
Untethered from the expectations that come with a Dark Souls or Bloodborne game, FromSoftware was able to create a game that maintains the studio's unique identity while allowing them to explore interesting new mechanics and ways of telling the story. Sekiro is challenging, but fair—a game with the goal of allowing the player to grow, rather than the avatar. It blends mechanics and narrative in a way that is too rare in games today, allowing for a deep level of immersion that begs for just one more clash of blades no matter how difficult the encounters get. Seeing each one to its bloody finish is well worth the trials it takes to get there.
Polygon - Extremely Positive
Rarely do my insights or incremental improvements give me anything close to an easy win, but Sekiro isn't difficult for difficult's sake. It gives me hints, but no roadmap. It implies. It finds ways to reward me when I read between the lines. It hands me my ass when I try something a little too clever or panicked or cheap, but it gives me victories when I act with care and react with considered split-second decisions. This is the skill that Sekirochallenges me to accumulate, and it never lets me forget that. Even though it can take hours of controller-throwing frustration to defeat seemingly insurmountable odds, perseverance begets pleasure. I won that battle because it could be done. I solved the puzzle. I am a shinobi god.
COGConnected - 88/100
Overall, I can't get enough of Sekiro despite being terrible at playing it. It's a great evolution of the Soulsborne experience with impressive new traversal and combat mechanics in a beautiful world loaded with odd characters and challenging enemies. I'm excited to jump into my second playthrough to find any areas or bosses I missed initially, as well as continue to upgrade my Shinobi Tools and combat abilities.
Attack of the Fanboy - 4.5/5
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a truly new expression of the design philosophy that FromSoftware has spent years refining. Shifting gears a bit in the setting, story, and gameplay, the spirit of Dark Souls is still clearly the driving factor here.
VG247 - Extremely Positive
Sekiro is a game a lot of people are going to bounce off. It's one for the "git gud" crowd – for people who want a feeling of accomplishment, rather than the fake achievement you feel from finding some Level 20 Pants in most modern triple-A experiences. It's FromSoftware at its most confident, at its most unapologetic. It's Bloodborne but faster, with fewer crutches yet somehow more fair. It's also one of the best games released so far in what's already looking like a strong 2019.
PowerUp! - 9.9/10
I feel bad for any other games releasing in 2019 because as far as I'm concerned, Sekiro Shadows Die Twice has game of the year all sewn up.
Gameblog.fr - 9/10
Sekiro is a wonderful game with great fights, plenty of exploration and a very nice artistic direction. A must-have.
TheSixthAxis - 9/10
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is an incredible blend of story, gameplay and world design. I don't think it trumps Bloodborne, personally, but it may well be the next best game that FromSoftware has created. It definitely has the most experimental aspects and rises above so many of its peers because it dares to punish you for not paying attention. As ever, the elation you find when overcoming a challenge is unparalleled. This is one for the masochists and the hard-headed, but it will welcome any who have the patience to learn it. Sekiro is bloody brilliant.
Kotaku - Positive
In all, Sekiro has been difficult to master but has never felt unfair. I found myself actually, sincerely getting good, and the process felt great.
Atomix - 95/100
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a masterpiece that you can not miss for nothing.
Telegraph - 5/5
After a particular troubling encounter with a boss, I finally felled the great oaf in a spectacular fountain of blood with only a sliver of my own health remaining. I leapt from my seat, heart racing, any maddening moments forgotten, made worthwhile in an unbridled moment of thrilling triumph. In creating those moments, and in its ability to forge its own inimitable style of video games, From Software remain peerless.
IGN Spain - 9.3/10
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is an excellent evolution of the Soulsborne formula, changing almost everything but maintaining the essence: the feeling that despite dying, we can succeed.
PCMR: 93/100
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice might not give birth to a new genre as FROM Software did with the Souls series, but its fresh constituent components sure make it feel that way. It's not only a testament for hardcore players and Souls fans alike, but also a game that will be remembered as a classic of this generation - and without a doubt a strong 2019 GOTY contender.
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